Arson caused up to 73 per cent of Iqaluit’s 2014 fire damage

Iqaluit’s fire department reported that 19 of 45 fires in 2014 were incendiary in nature. The “suspicious” fires accounted for 73 per cent of all fire damage in the Nunavut capital last year. (PHOTO BY PETER VARGA)

Arson was by far the greatest cause of fire damage in Iqaluit in 2014, the city’s fire chief, Luc Grandmaison, told Iqaluit City Council May 12.

Deliberately-set fires and incidents classified as “incendiary” and “suspicious” caused about 73 per cent of all fire damage to property in the Nunavut capital last year, according to an annual statistical report that Grandmaison presented to city council.

“Unfortunately, our fire problem is with arson fires or incendiary-type fires,” Grandmaison told city council.

Nineteen of the 45 fires in 2014 were deliberately set, according to the report.

Although the total number of fire incidents in the community had dropped from 58 in 2013, the number of suspicious fires was about the same.

Councillors questioned Grandmaison about possible solutions. The fire chief said most of the department’s fire-prevention education campaigns take place at schools.

“That’s where I think we need to send our message,” the fire chief said.

“The arson rate that’s demonstrated in this document is atrocious,” Coun. Stephen Mansell commented. “We need to take some serious steps to eliminate that.”

“What are we doing to prosecute these people who are setting fires in our community?” he asked. “It’s terrible what’s happened in town, and we need to get tough on these people.”

“Every time we recognize signs of arson, the fire department doesn’t investigate. We transfer the investigation over to the RCMP and the Office of the Fire Marshal,” Grandmaison said.

Last year’s total value of losses due to fire amounted to $519,372, according to the report.

Losses in 2013 amounted to $371,445, and more than $9 million in 2012, when the White Row townhouse block burned down.

The chief pointed out that the total value of losses due to fire for the years 2014 and 2013 were the lowest since 2008, which he said is due to greater follow-up on arson suspects.

Compared to other communities, Iqaluit suffered an exceptionally high rate of fire incidents per capita in 2014, amounting to six fires per 1,000 population. That rate is almost four times as high as British Columbia’s overall average, according to the report, and 1.5 times the average for all communities of Nunavut in 2012.

Fire incidents claimed one life in Iqaluit last year.

The report shows that 76 per cent of fire damage, in dollar terms, occurred between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m. Fourteen of last year’s 45 fires occurred in that time period.

Almost half of all fire loss damage in 2014 was sparked by “smoker’s material” — such as cigarettes, matches, or lighters.

Another 20 per cent was traced to stoves and stovetop heating elements.

“Most of that is due to drunkenness,” Coun. Kenny Bell commented. “People are falling asleep with their cooking on the stove, or with their cigarettes.”

Statistics on timing of fires and their source suggests the city must come up with other fire-prevention programs to add to school-based programs, Bell said.

“I’m wondering if we could look at the GN, and ask them to help fund night time anti-cooking-while-intoxicated programs, or something of that nature,” he said with a wry note of humour.

“Obviously, reaching out to kids is not helping in that fashion. Maybe we should try to find some more funding,” he said, noting the city’s cash-strapped finances. “I’d support it.”

The fire department’s report might not come as a surprise to Iqalungmiut, in view of two recent fires in the Nunavut capital.

RCMP have charged a suspect with arson in connection with a fire last month at Nunavut Arctic College’s largest student residence, and an early-morning fire to two units in a four-unit house, May 9, sent a woman to hospital in Winnipeg with burns to 50 per cent of her body.

The annual report notes that the city spent $3,340,000 in 2014 to extinguish the summer-long dump fire, which is not included in the report’s figures on losses due to fire.